Floor construction



K. ELEWAGNER 1,836,347

FLOdR CONSTRUCTION I Filed Nov. 8, 1929 4 Sheets- Sheet 1 E Jr I IN V EN TOR. Ker! 501275655 I BY A TTORNEYFJ.

Dec. 15,1931. K. E. 'WAGN-ER' 1,836,347

FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Fild Nov. 8, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOQ M12271 5 Mg 7267.

ATTODIVE Y5.

Dec. 15, 1931. K. 1- WAGNER 1,836,347

' FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 8, I929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 I ATTORNEY5.

Dec 15, 1931'.-

K. E. WAGNER FLOOR" CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 8, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

Zflgyzzefl A TTORNEYJ.

- arrangement Patented Dec. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

-. KAfiL E. WAGNER, or HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSi'GNOR TO THE wIIITAcnE EN- GITNEERING COMBANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or OHIO FLO OR CONSTRUCTIGN Application filed November This invention relates to fire-proof const ru'ctions comprising mainly hollow tiles or blocks and reinforced concrete, and more especially to the form of the blocks and their relative to one another and to the concrete. I a

The main objects of the invention are to construct an improved floor of the kind referred to and having greater strength for a given weight of materials and for a given cost; toprovide an improved form of hollow block adapted for efficient bonding with the concrete and for greater floor strength; to

M providea strong and most effective arrangement of the blocks in each floorsection or panelunit; to provide for better bonding and interlocking of the concrete with the blocks; to provide a floor structure the lower face of which shall be substantially plain for a smooth flat ceiling finish; and to provide, in

mechanical eiie'ct, a double or two-way arch of greatstrength and durability and having planar horizontal faces.

An illustrative embodiment of this inyen- I tion' is shownby the accompanying draw ngs in which: F igure l is a; plan of a floor, or floor section, embodyingthis invention. 7

"Fi .2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig; 1'. Fig. 3 is similarto'Fig. 2 except that a modified form of floor beam is shown cornprisingan I-bar. Fig. 4: is a perspective fragmentary view of the floor comprising one entire panel or 5 archand' its immediate environment.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged View of one of the four complete archesshown in Fig. atog'ether with the adjacent joist members. I

Fig. 6 isa' section on the'line 6"6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is-a'section on the line 7"7 of Fig.

Fig. 8 is a modification illustrating a fragment of a section mainly similar to Fig. 5, but showing a finish layerof ooncreteoverlaying the arch.

1 Fig. 9'i'sa perspective View ofoneof the main tiles. I Y

Fig. 10'is asideview ofa stopplate fbr'one of the" tile chambers I I I Fig. 11 is aside view of a' stop plate for another of the tile'chambers s, 1929. Serial no. 405,770.

Fig. 12 is a vertical longitudinal section through part of one of the tiles with the stop plate in section on theline 12'12'of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a perspectiveview of a variant form of thin hollow sofiit tile.v

' In th'econstruction shown by the drawings, floor 1 as a whole may besupported by any of the customary means, as for instance asystem of pillars A-and beams B or B" as by the bonding frame 3. These tiles? are, or 1 may well be, all of, like construction and siie and are of a peculiar design, as will be more fully described.

Each tile 7 is square or substantially so in plan and is preferably about the same in height as in width. Thetop and bottom faces are level except for surface ribbing, and all but one of the upright sides are vertical, the said oneside comprising a wall. which isin' clined inwardly somewhat toward the top; The interior of the tile is cellular and is formed with partitions bothvei'ticaland horizontal to provide" parallel chambers all dis posed horizontally" and opena-tboth ends. One of the top edges of thetile iscopeditrans versely of the adj acent' chambers, and the adjacentedge, in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed from the top, is reentrant, the component' top and vertical side walls being turned inwardly at right angles respectively to provide this form of stepped or inverted edge. The entire outside surface of the tile isfiuted lengthwise, that is'to say parallel with. the said chambers and inverted edge.

' More specifically the tile' 7 has a bottom' .iniddle of wall 8,a horizontal'partition 13 I I hear the bottom and ahorizontal partition l lnear the top. The walls 9 and 10 have their adjacent portions turned inwardly at 9' and 10 to form the recess or cope 15. The upper partition 14 may aline with the wall part 10 and is so shown. The two resultant bottom chambers 16 and 17 are wide, shallow and about rectangular in cross section, though the outer wall of chamber 16 is inclined somewhat. The two medial chambers 18 and 19 are more nearly square in. cross section but, like chamber 16, chamber 18 is affected by the slant of wall 11. The two upper chambers 20 and 21 like the two bottom chambers are nearly rectangular in cross section, but chamber 20 is affected by the slant of wall 11 and chamber 21 is relatively small owing to the indented edge or cope 15. Moreover chamfered edge or cope 522 gives downward access to the chambers 20 and 21. The copin here referred to is preferably somewhat concavely arcuate as shown on the walls and partitions, as at 11, 12 and 9". The external fluting comprises alternate ribs 23 and hollows 24 substantially as usual on building materials of the character referred to. The several chambers are all substantially of rectangular tube-lil-:e character.

These tiles 7 may be formed, as by :(trusion, in the usual manner for hollow tiles of the general character referred to, subject to the special cross section shape of the mold and the subsequent cross chamfering to form the cope 22 at the top edge of the tile, and of such materials as fired clay or the like, or they may be precast from plastic material, as for intance concrete. The cope 22 may be formed by'striking off the edge of the tile when freshly molded and still soft.

Each of the floor arches 2 comprises an outer row or border of tiles 7 all arranged in the same peripheral direction and with their reentrant edges disposed inw. ll and a filler of similar tiles. all have their inclined faces 11 disposed outwardly, and as viewed in Figflthe coped edges 22 lead in the counter-clockwise direction. The inner tiles preferably'all extend in the same direction, as shown. I prefer using sixteen tiles for each arch, with four in the center and twelve around the edge.

Referring to Figs. l and 5 it rill be noted that four of the corner tiles are left wholly open ended at one end so far as its relati n to other similar tiles is concerned. in or. to prevent too much inflow of concrete at these points the main chambers 18 and 1.) are closed by means of the stop members 5 and 6 respectively. For this purpose partitions or plates are set across said chambers somewhat back from the end, so as to provide end spaces and permit merely bonding entrance of concrete from the adjacent membersof grid 3. These stops 5 and (i may he composed and mounted in any convenient manner. I prefer sheet metal plates with 'top tongues 27 to engage the overlying ed- 'm the partition 14 when the plates are in place, preferably at a slight angle, as shown in Fig. 12.

In order to provide space for the inter-arch supports or grid 3 of reinforced concrete the arches 2 are spaced apart and separated by the narrow int-e vening tiles or sofiits l or 4 flush with their lower faces. These soffits also serve to insulate the reinforcing bars 30 from below, and may be solid or hollow. They also constitute a part of a substantially uniform ceiling surface to receive the finish plastering, not shown. Bars 30' may be used above bars 30 if desired, but they are of minor importance and generally may be omitted.

In constructing a floor embodying this invention, a level temporary support is first installed. The sofiits 4 and tiles 7 are first arranged in place thereon. Then the bars 30 are set in place over he soflits. Plates 5 and 6 are set in the open ends of the four corner tiles. Concrete is then poured into the trough-like valleys between panels, to form the grid 3. Concrete is also poured into whatever crevices may be open, including the re entrant edge recesses 15 and the V-shapcd recesses such as indicated at 31 on Figs. 4: and 6. The concrete, being plastic, flows somewhat into the cope openings as at 32 and into the ends of the adjacent tile as at 33, as in Fig. for bonding access to the ends of chambers E and 21. It also flows into the chamber spaces at the ends of certain tiles and into the bottom chambers, as at 35.

In finishing the floor surface any one of several .yles maybe adopted. For instance, the concrete of the beams and grid may be graded flush with the top face level of the tiles 7 g or the entire surface may be covered with a layer of concrete, as at 36 on Fig. 8, several inches if desired; or the entire surface may be flushed over with thin concrete or grout. The ribbed rough surface of the tiles together with the end edge coping and side edge reentrance features insure positive and secure mutual bonding of the tiles to the concrete; and a very light and strong floor arch is thus produced.

Moreover, by reason of variously alining the edge groves 15 and cope chamfers 22, all of equal depth in both directions across the top of the panel, the latter is made to comprise a monolithic network of intersecting bars of approximately uniform beam strength in combination with a set of hollow tiles enmeshed and held securely in place tli creby.

The desirable characteristics of the arch, or panel 9 are apparent from Figs. 6 and 7.

In each view it will be seen that the main load compression curve extends from bar to bar 30, on opposite sides. upward through the concrete and thence diagonally through the structurally strong top part of the tiles 7, and concrete binder ribs as at 15, 22 and 31.

The lower portions of the intermediate tiles 7, though free from load, provide the desired flat ceiling. v 7

Although but one specific main embodimentof this invention is,-with a few variant features, herein shown and described, it is to be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing'from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims:

I claim:

1. A floor panel comprising a substantially uniform top grid of concrete and a plurality of extrusion type multiple chambered hollow of concrete filler occupying the resultant top 7 tiles, each having a top end edge and an adj acent top side edge recessed to provide bonding channels in which said grid is molded, part of said'tiles being arranged lengthwise around the edge of said panel, the outwardly facing ends of'each corner tile having closure plates to limit the ingress of cement to its main chambers. v r 1 2. A floor comprising a or grid ofhorizontal beams and a plurality of composite arch panels carried thereby, said panels each comprising a rectangular group of substantially cubical hollow tiles in planar arrangement between said beams and abutting mutually at their bases, the upper edges of said tiles being indented on two sides to provide a network of channels, and a minor grid of concrete bars molded into and filling said channels.

3. A floor comprising a grid of reinforced concrete and a pluralityof rectangular composite panels carried thereby, said panels each comprising a group of hollow tiles spaciously chambered medially and narrowly chambered at the top to give compression strength and recessed at their upper edges, and a network surface recesses, whereby each panel is fitted to serve 1n effect as a conoldal arch having curvilinear arch hues of great compresslve strength running transversely from side to side in each direction. 1

4. A floor panel of flat shape comprising a plurality of nearly cubical hollow tiles of the" multiple chamber and extrusion mold type, with a top end edge chamfer coped and an adjacent top edge reentrant, with a grid of concrete occupying the resultant top face channels formed by the recessive tile edges whereby said panel may serve mechanically as a conoidal arch.

Signed at Chicago this 5th day of November, 1929. V

V KARL E. WAGNER. 

